New 'no parking' sign riles Nazareth residents

A Moravian Historical Society docent in May during kickoff of Nazareth's celebration of its 275h anniversary

A Moravian Historical Society docent in May during kickoff of Nazareth's celebration of its 275h anniversary (CHRIS SHIPLEY, The Morning Call)

Kevin DuffySpecial to The Morning Call

Some residents don't like the idea that they can't park in front of their homes

Parking can be at a premium for Nazareth residents, but some are now being told they can't park in front of their homes.

Borough Council members said Monday they will look into complaints about a newly posted "no parking" sign along South Whitfield Street in front of a multi-use building at 181 S. Whitfield.

David Dyce, who lives at 162 S. Whitfield diagonally across from the commercial building, said he came home from work after 5 p.m. on a weekday and parked where he always has since moving in last January. The next morning, he found a ticket on his windshield.

He told council that a fellow tenant in his building, who runs a beauty salon, has lost clients because they have nowhere to park when they visit her business.

"A lot of people can't park in front of their house," he said.

Council President Daniel Chiavaroli said a previous tenant in the business was using a loading dock that serves the building, but when that business relocated, a sign that restricted parking in front of the site was removed.

But then a new business took over the space around the beginning of the year and asked the borough for permission to put the sign back up, he said.

Currently, a dance studio and gym occupy suites in the building, as well as Valve Tech, an industrial equipment supplier. Chiavaroli said he wasn't sure which business requested the sign.

The borough will look at who is in the commercial building and try to work something out for the residents, he said.

Joann Ames, a neighbor of Dyce, said she's been living on the street for 20 years and never had a problem parking until now. She said the sign is prohibiting parking in five curbside spaces.

"My husband is a truck driver, and he said to tell them they need to have their product shipped in smaller vehicles," she said. "It's become a little ridiculous getting any parking on that street at all."

She also said there are two handicapped parking signs on the street, further hampering opportunities to park. One spot, she said, is for a resident who is deceased.

Mayor Carl Strye Jr. said all handicapped parking areas are being re-evaluated by the borough in order to detect abuses.

"It's an ongoing struggle — we're going to start over from ground zero," he said.

Ray Orway, a businessman with multiple properties in the borough, said the building should be looked at to see exactly what is in there and what the needs of the various businesses are.

"You've got all different levels of occupancy," he said. "These people come home from work at 5, and they should have a place to park."